Mutability
by Ikilledmyownname
Summary: After an impromptu change in his life at Hogwarts, Harry learns that Voldemort is not a powerful as people say he is. Besides, this he also gains new friends and allies in his fight against the Dark Lord. He even shares a romance with someone he never would have thought about. Perhaps the changes aren't all bad.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does. I do, however, own a computer which I used to write this drivel :)

Chapter 1: The Sorting Hat's Decision

The Hogwarts Express ground to a halt with the usual ear-splitting scream of the wheels dragging along the rails. The familiar large, terminal discharge of steam from the train's funnel covered the platform in a thick cloud, which quickly condensed in the cool highland air. Students began milling around the carriages eager to disembark after the long trip. The recognizable voice of Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds, called out for the newly arrived first years to follow him for their boat trip across the lake to their new home away from home. Three students still sat in their compartment, waiting for the corridor to clear up so they could leave without being trampled. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger looked impatiently out the glass panel of the compartment door, waiting for an opening in the near-impenetrable throngs of students. Less than a minute later, they managed to find a break in the crowd but were promptly swept onto the platform. The biting night air of the Scottish Highlands forced them to pull their robes closer to them as they followed the small dirt path down the spot where the self-pulling carriages waited to take them up to the castle.

Harry stopped suddenly, mesmerised by the bony, winged horse-like creatures that stood tethered to the carriages.

"What are those?" He asked.

"What are what?" Replied Hermione.

"Those things pulling the carriages. What are they?"

"Harry, mate," said Ron. "There's nothing pulling the carriages. They go by themselves; just like always."

Harry reached out to touch one, causing his friends to look at him oddly and ask if he was okay. The creature craned its neck out to sniff at his hand but quickly pulled back when he got too close. He shook his head and boarded the carriage with his companions to find Neville Longbottom and an unknown blonde girl already there. Neville was holding a rather strange plant that could only be described as a lightly jaundiced cactus in desperate need of some acne cream.

"You're not going crazy," said the unknown girl. "I can see them too." With that she went back to her magazine which the others noticed was upside-down. They all looked at each other, hoping someone would know who she was.

"Everyone, this is Loony Lovego-," Hermione stopped midway through her introduction as everyone looked at her oddly, except the girl, who just lowered her magazine slightly upon hearing the nickname other students gave her. Hermione blushed and lowered her head. "Luna Lovegood." She said quietly. Silence hung over the five for several seconds until it was broken by Ron.

"Neville, what is that thing?" He asked pointing to the plant.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia. It was a present from my gran." Explained Neville. Given Neville's predisposition to herbology, none thought it odd that he would be gifted with a plant.

The carriage shook and swayed slightly as it was dragged along the cobbled pavement towards the castle. Harry didn't speak a word until they felt the jolt of the carriage stopping before the large wooden doors of the castle. Still, he was transfixed on the creatures, determined to find out what they were at some stage.

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was as splendorous and grandiose as ever. The artificial starlight of the enchanted ceiling along with the smell of the countless candles floating above them reminded Harry that he was home. He took a seat in his usual spot about halfway up the Gryffindor table as the sorting began. Every student watched with rapt attention as the first years, who all seemed so tiny under the Sorting Hat was sent into their new families with uproarious applause. The crowed had dissipated and all the first years had been placed. The hat and stool were taken behind the staff table as Dumbledore took to his lectern to deliver his address to the students.

"Welcome, students, to yet another year of learning and growth at Hogwarts. However, before all that I have a few announcements to make. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students, as it has been for longer that I care to remember. Mister Filch wishes to inform us that joke products, such as those supplied by Zonko's or the Weasley twins are banned. And we have yet another new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Please welcome Professor Umbridge."

A small round of applause rang through the hall for the smiling, toad-like woman in pink. Harry leaned into his friends.

"She was at my trial," he whispered. "She works for Fudge."

"And finally, dinner is-," Dumbledore was stopped by someone clearing their throat. Umbridge was about to stand up to deliver the small speech she had prepared to give to the students but promptly sat back down when she realized it was not her small cough that caught the headmaster's attention.

"Albus, we discussed this," said a sneering voice like Snape's, but without the malice. "I told you I wished to see the boy once more."

Professor Dumbledore, along with everyone else in the hall looked to see the Sorting Hat speaking.

"I hardly think this is the appropriate time for that." Dumbledore said softly.

"This is the perfect time, Albus."

Dumbledore sighed. "He has already been sorted; I cannot allow you to see him again. It goes against every tradition of the school."

The entire hall broke out in whispers. Who was to be re-sorted? Why? What if it's me? The students spoke of cases where the Sorting Hat had changed its mind but it never took more than a few seconds. Nobody had ever spent time in a house only to have the hat demand to re-sort them.

"Tradition means little to hats Albus and you have no control over sorting. I am sorry, my friend, but this is out of your hands."

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, if you would."

Every Harry in Hogwarts stiffened but it became obvious in little more than a second which Harry was to be oldest student ever sorted. Everyone turned to Harry Potter. Slowly, he stood up and stepped into the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. Words of encouragement were said to him from his friends and the rest of the Gryffindors but only a few reached him. 'You'll be back here soon', 'don't worry about it', 'it'll be fine' and even 'anywhere but Slytherin'. That last one hit Harry like a train. He thought back to his sorting in first year and how the Sorting Hat told him he would be great in Slytherin. Then in second year, when the Sorting Hat defended his original thought about Slytherin.

Professor McGonagall carried the hat and stool around, enlarging it slightly to suit the size of a fifth year rather than a first year. She offered him a comforting smile as he sat and took the hat from her. The stares from all directions nearly made him burst into flames as he shakily placed the ancient hat on his head.

"Well, well, well," said the Sorting Hat in a voice just loud enough for Harry to hear. "Let me have another look at you Mister Potter. Ah yes, I see all the same things as before. Intelligence, loyalty, bravery, that same thirst to prove yourself." Harry relaxed slightly. Perhaps he would be sent back to Gryffindor. "There's something different though." His breath hitched once more. "I see determination of a different kind. That stint with You-Know-Who and the Diggory boy changed it. It's almost latent ruthlessness now. Yes, yes. Very well, I see."

The students, including the Slytherins, leaned forward in anticipation of the wise old bonnet's decision. The staff all held their breath as they witnessed history. Hermione covered her ears and Ron grabbed the edge of the bench so hard his knuckles were white. Malfoy swallowed and Luna had placed her magazine down. Professor McGonagall looked increasingly ill as the seconds ticked by and Dumbledore held on to the edge of his owl-shaped lectern, fearing the tension would swallow him up if he let go. Several students, mostly Gryffindors, felt they were about to be sick as the stillness of the room became too much to bear. One minute passed. Two minutes. Five minutes. The hat was performing one of the most thorough evaluations in modern times. As the seventh minute dawned the hat rustled and turned its face up to the crowd. Harry jolted upright on the stool when he felt its movement. Not a single person was left sitting. Everyone was now either bolt upright or half-sitting half-standing. Even Snape was beginning to show something that may be taken by some as nervousness.

"I have reached a decision." The hat announced to everyone. It looked around at the wide eyes and nods, indicating for it to continue. "Harry Potter, is to be placed in… SLYTHERIN!" Harry jolted again, so hard this time that the stool was thrown from beneath him and he landed on the wood of the stage with a reverberating bang. None dared clap, or even whisper. Hermione buried her face in her hands and Ron fainted. Malfoy shot out of his half-sit and stood bolt upright along with twenty or so other Slytherins. Harry still lay on the stage where the staff table resided. He was afraid to move and even the staff members were afraid to come around and help him up. Eventually Dumbledore stepped forward. He picked up the Sorting Hat and placed it on the staff table. He then stooped down to help Harry up. He took out his wand and threw the dust from the old wood off him. Professor Snape stood and came around the table to Dumbledore and Harry. With a flick of his wand the brilliant crimson trim along the edges of Harry's robes and the crest bearing the proud lion were replaced with Slytherin's sedate green and cunning snake.

Harry's ears were ringing. He didn't care about anything else. He didn't even notice that Snape had begun guiding him to the Slytherin table. All he could focus on was the Gryffindor table. Some looked like deer in the headlights, others gave him the evil eye, and others looked on mournfully. Hermione still had her face in her hands. She was afraid to look up at him in case she burst into tears from the shock. Ron hadn't come around yet. He might as well have been a dead man. The only space at the Slytherin table was beside none other than Draco Malfoy. Normally he would have jumped on the chance to make a snide remark about the Golden Boy sitting at their table but all he could do was stare.

"Potter?" He asked weakly. Harry turned his face and look at him before turning his attention to his robes and staring at the new crest emblazoned on the front. The Slytherins stared at him. None dared say anything for fear that the tension that hung around their table would explode and kill them all. Harry opened his mouth as if to speak. Everyone within earshot leaned in to listen to what he had to say. Nothing but a weak, incoherent stammer emerged. Despite that fact that many of them had had run-ins with the Gryffindor Golden Boy before, they appeared worried. Many things could be said about those sorted into Slytherin house; they all went bad, they lie, they cheat and many other less than flattering remarks. However, none could say that Slytherins did not look out for their own.

The sound of Dumbledore's hands clapping together rousted all out of their stupor as lavish banquets appeared and covered the full length of tables, the likes of which could only be served at Hogwarts. Roast chickens, baked and boiled hams, roast and corned beef, pork steaks, fish of all kinds, a multitude of sauces and dips and a myriad of different vegetables. As usual, all was cooked to perfection and the smell of the food would have driven even the most health conscious to dive head first into the fattening buffet. Normally, the students would have done just that and demolished most of the food, but now, they slowly ate as there was something much more interesting to do, namely, point and whisper at the new face at the table of the snakes.

Harry didn't react to the splendours of the food that unfurled themselves before him. He simply stared at his plate in deep thought about how his life would change. It didn't matter that he was the Golden Boy or the Chosen One or whatever else they called him around the castle. He was a Slytherin now, a snake, and the others would treat him accordingly. I wouldn't be long before the Gryffindors begin banging their shoulders into him as he walked through the halls or trying to hex him. Given all the media attention that surrounded him this summer, and the fact that some thought _he_ killed Cedric and just blamed it on Voldemort so he could take the winnings of the Triwizard Tournament for himself, he was surprised some weren't trying to hex or curse him now.

He was brought out of his thoughts by someone placing a plate of food before him.

"You should eat something." Said Malfoy, much to the Harry's surprise. Even more surprising was the fact that no-one reacted to this show of kindness.

"T-thanks." He said wearily, looking at the plate of corned beef, roast potatoes and various other vegetables. He slowly picked up his fork and skewered a piece of meat. As he brought it to his mouth, he relaxed a bit as the smell of the food at Hogwarts had always had that effect on him. There was something comforting about it.

Harry ate in silence, despite the fact that the mood in the Great Hall picked up to its usual levels for the first night banquet. The food disappeared and Professor Dumbledore took to his lectern once more.

"It has been rather an exciting night, has it not?" He intoned. A murmur of agreement rang through the hall. "However, we must not let such unusual events affect our true purpose here. That being said, your lessons will begin at ten tomorrow morning as usual. Now, I believe many of us would like nothing more than to rest after such a big meal and a long day of travels. So, I bid you goodnight." The twinkle in his eye and his grandfatherly smile had returned.

The noise of the students resumed as they filed out of the halls to their common rooms. The only change was the calls of the Slytherin prefects: "first years and Potter follow me."

As he left the Great Hall, Harry noticed Ron had come to; however, his expression was rather less than friendly. Hermione on the other hand, didn't have much of an expression. Harry knew her far too well and he knew she had been racking her brain all through dinner trying to find some reason why the Sorting Hat would do something so unorthodox as to re-sort a fifth year student. The crowd of Slytherins broke Harry's view of his friends as he was swept towards the winding staircase that led down to the dungeons. After several minutes, the corridors all began to look the same and he wondered if he would ever find his way out. They stopped at a familiar dead end, which Harry had been through once more.

"Listen up," said Malfoy. "This year, instead of having a password you tap certain bricks with your wand and the wall will open, much like the entrance to Diagon Alley. Watch me." He took out his wand and tapped three bricks. The wall parted. "It's the fifth brick from the bottom in the first row, the tenth in the third row and the fourth in the ninth row."

The students filed in quickly and waited for the prefects to give the usual announcements.

"The order of the bricks will be changed every two weeks and will be posted on the notice board. The list of banned items can be found there too. There is a hidden corridor that will take you back to the entrance hall much quicker than the way we came. There are people who'd like nothing more than to find this place so we take the long way down first time to throw them off. So I suggest you leave for breakfast tomorrow and follow one of your upperclassmen. That's all for now."

Harry looked around the room. The leather and upholstery on all the furniture was still green and the eerie green lamps still festooned the walls. The large pane of glass still faced out into the water of the lake, giving the room a teal hue. The sound of the water gurgling around outside as fish swam past was quite relaxing. Every so often a rather dim fish would slam full force into the glass, filling the room with a hollow clunk. Harry found a secluded corner of the common room, away from the excited first years and the raucous higher years. He collapsed into a leather wingback chair and rested his head on one of his hands. He was suddenly struck by that realization that many of the students here were probably the children of Death Eaters. He quietly groaned about the fact that he really was in the snake pit. For all he'd been through even he couldn't survive a multitude of mini Death Eaters trying to curse him or kill every night in his sleep.

Time dragged on and by midnight there were less than five people left in the common room. Just Harry, Malfoy, Parkinson, Nott and Zabini. Harry had heard all but Malfoy announce that they were going to bed. He sighed heavily; it would just be him and his arch-rival left all alone. He gripped his wand just in case Malfoy tried any funny business. The dying embers of the fire barely lit the area in front of the fireplace. Malfoy stood and approached the corner Harry had retired to and had been sitting motionless in for the better part of three hours.

"Potter?" He asked. "How are you?"

"Guess." Harry replied, flippantly. Malfoy sighed and pulled up a small stool. He sat before Harry who turned his head to look at him.

"Not all that good, I would say. After what happened to you tonight, I imagine anyone would be feeling a bit down."

"Malfoy, what do you want? Are looking for information to pass on to your father or something? Some he could send up the ranks?"

Malfoy sighed. "My father's not a… you know, anymore."

Harry looked at him in disbelief and anger. "What are you talking about? I saw him that night in the graveyard, I heard him speak. And you sit there lying and saying he's not one of them anymore?"

"It's true. After that night, father and all but two who were there that night came to Dumbledore. They asked for protection. You can count on one hand the amount of people who really want to stay with You-Know-Who. Most wanted out the first time they realized exactly what they would be doing.

"What?" Harry asked.

"The original name of the Death Eaters was the Knights of Walpurgis. It was a small group, and the original members masqueraded as pro-pureblood political group. They gave the appearance of just wanting special protection under the law for purebloods. My father and about ninety percent of the others joined up because that's what it was to them. Once they realized what was really going on they tried to leave, but they were terrorized into staying. They only went along because their facades seemed real. Everyone was afraid they were the only ones who wanted to leave and if they tried they'd be hunted by countless others."

Harry was shocked. Since he first encountered them, the Death Eaters seemed like blood-hungry savages. Now, though, they didn't seem quite as evil as he first thought. They were just a group of terrorized aristocracy, desperately trying to save even a little piece of the magical world they knew.

"Father always said you were one of the best things that happened to him. He was still afraid though, for my sake. He never knew if the others really did support You-Know-Who. He told me before I started here, that I was to talk as though I supported him too. He said it would keep me safe if the others really had turned bad. Over time, I came to find out that every student here whose parents were Death Eaters never really supported You-Know-Who –"

"Voldemort." Harry interjected.

"What?"

"His name is Voldemort. Saying 'You-Know-Who' won't do anything but make people more afraid of him."

Malfoy looked at Harry as he explained his reasoning and felt something close to admiration. Only a few people were brave enough to say Voldemort and out of those, only a handful could say it without stammering.

"Anyway, I told father about this when V-v-voldemort returned a few months ago. He gathered all the false supporters and took them to Dumbledore. A few were sent to Azkaban but most got away with a heavy fine."

"Malfoy… why are you telling me this?" Harry asked.

"Because, you nit. We're going to have to live together for the next nine months. I saw how you looked around at the others tonight. I just wanted to let you know we weren't your enemies." A small smile showed itself on Harry's face. "That's what we were talking about, how to… make you comfortable here, I guess."

"Ok, I'll accept this olive branch on one condition. You apologize to Hermione and Ron for the last four years."

"Granger, yes. Weasley, maybe." Said Malfoy in response.

"What?"

"Come on," scoffed Malfoy. "I can see Granger taking this in her stride, but I saw how Weasley was staring daggers at you. It was worse than when your name came out of that cup. I'm sorry but I can't see Weasley getting past this little situation. If he can't, I won't apologize. In Slytherin, we look out for our own." Malfoy stood. "It's getting late. I'll show you where the fifth year dormitories are."

Not another word was spoken between the two as they crossed the common room to yet another set of stairs leading downwards. Malfoy opened the large wooden doors and Harry's jaw dropped as he looked around. The dormitory was a thick glass box, completely submerged in the lake. Water-warped moonlight flickered across the large four-poster beds and trunks. The sound of the water splashing around them was amplified.

"Nice, no?" Malfoy said, smirking. "I bet this beats the stony Gryffindor dorms."

Harry was speechless. He had never seen anything like this. He quickly changed into his pyjamas and clambered under the emerald duvet. As the sound of the moving water splashing against the reverse aquarium he thought mournfully of his bed in Gryffindor Tower. He had spent many happy nights there, and now it would just sit empty as Gryffindor was missing a fifth year. Eventually he drifted off to sleep and dreamed of an odd, black door.

**xXx**

-Drop a review if you have the time, but constructive criticism only.

-I will also have Malfoy back to his usual self soon. This isn't an OOC story.


End file.
